Two local real estate developers are proposing a new condominium for downtown Lake Bluff, while the Village Board has taken a technical action regarding another high-profile property whose future remains up in the air.
Last month, developers Todd Altounian and Peter Witmer appeared at a Plan Commission/Zoning Board of Appeals workshop providing an initial look at their latest plan for 120 E. Scranton Avenue, on the land commonly known as Block 3.
Altounian and Witmer want to build a 34-foot tall building, replacing a long-shuttered bank. They believe the apartments will cater to local residents who want to stay in the area, but no longer want the responsibilities of owning and maintaining a single-family home.
“It is a housing stock that is not available right now,” Altounian said in an interview.
The building is set to have six to eight separate custom-built units ranging between 2,000 to 3,000 square feet with underground parking and a green roof.
Witmer conceded the units would be expensive, estimating a cost of between $900 to $1,000 per square foot. Nevertheless, he told the PCZBA there would be a market.
“We are very well versed on what people are willing to pay for this type of living,” he said. “This is a style of living that is not available in Lake Bluff, Lake Forest (or) down to Evanston.”
Witmer noted the building would be similar to the recently built condominiums just east of downtown Lake Forest on McKinley Road.
Kevin Considine, a neighbor of the site, also provided an endorsement.
“I think it is a great plan,” he said. “It will be terrific for the village.”
However, former PCZBA member Michael Goldsberry labeled the plan as “excellent” but expressed concern about the precedent about the future of the area.
“I do have some serious concerns that this is making the whole side of the road nothing but condos and giant brick and I just think we lose something,” he said.
PCZBA members appeared to support the plan.
“This is a very exciting proposal,” Chairman Gary Peters said.
Witmer noted a formal presentation is set for the Nov. 20 PCZBA meeting, acknowledging there will likely be some tweaks as the review process moves forward.
This is just the latest idea for the site presented over the years, but nothing was ever developed. Witmer and Altounian proposed a three-story building several years ago, but it failed to gain support.
Meanwhile, in another portion of the Lake Bluff, the Village Board on Oct. 28 approved a revised tentative and final plat of subdivision regarding the Stonebridge estate, located at 136 Green Bay Road.
The property owners agreed to a request from the village to divide the estate into five lots, the smallest permissible under state law, according to village documents.
Village Administrator Drew Irvin explained the Village Board took that action to create a clean slate for the property.
However, the larger question regarding the future of the 47-acre site remains unclear.
In February 2022, the village and the property settled a long dispute regarding the site with property owners Roanoke Development.
The manor house and gatehouse, designed by well-known architect Howard Van Doren Shaw in 1915, were demolished after the settlement agreement went into place.
Currently, only four structures remain on the site, but plans are for those to be razed as well sometime in the future.
A source familiar with the situation indicated no current applications for development proposals.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
